The fact that this is on HBO, of course, is great — but really, that and Steven Spielberg's role as a producer is really just the cherry on top of this already promising project. Getting Cranston to reprise his role as President Lyndon B. Johnson in the thing was key to ensuring it would be a success at all. After all, the role is what won him a Tony award for Best Actor, and he's likely what ensured the entire production won a Tony as well.

The play itself, which was written by Robert Schenkkan (he will adapt it into a film version for HBO himself), follows President Johnson's tough first year in office as "he takes the oath following President Kennedy’s assassination, copes with the escalation of the Vietnam War, and launches his landmark civil rights bill." And with Cranston starring, it's a way more interesting way to learn about history than listening to your college professor lecture about it for an hour.